The present invention is directed to a stabilizing device, which is adapted for insertion between a support surface and the lower support structure of an article in order to help support and stabilize the article against instability that is caused by an uneven structural support of the article or the support surface. This instability results in tipping, wobbling, or vibration when the distribution of weight on the article is disturbed by jarring forces, and the like. The stabilizing device thus may also be used to help level an otherwise evenly supported article on an uneven support surface. Accordingly, the field of the present invention is directed to the leveling and stabilizing of articles, such as furniture and the like, which rest on a support surface, such as a floor, in order to prevent wobbling, tipping, or vibration during use.
Most articles of furniture are constructed to have a lower support structure, which defines a support plane at its lowermost points. The operative or working areas of the article of furniture are then oriented in a desired manner with respect to that support plane by the support structure. For example, a typical table has a horizontal dining surface, which is oriented parallel to the floor and supported by four downwardly depending legs. Thus, the support plane of this table is the plane defined by the free ends of the legs. However, planar geometry dictates that only three operative support points define a plane. Thus, it is necessary that the table legs be sized with great care in order to ensure that all four free ends terminate in a common plane; otherwise, the table will be unstable. When this happens, the article does not have a single stable support plane but rather is subject to unwanted wobbling, tipping, or as in the case of machinery—vibrating. Even articles, which have only three support points, such as a three-legged table, that automatically define a stable support plane, can still have the problem that the working surface may not be in the desired orientation due to any error in the intended length of any support.
Other articles that have rotating components, such as pumps, air-conditioners, fans, and the like, can vibrate if not properly leveled and stabilized. For example, an air-handling unit might include a fan. If the fan is not perfectly balanced then any instability in the support of the air-handling unit on its support surface might allow the unit to vibrate. In some cases this vibration can be sufficient to cause damage to the unit. Also, the vibration can cause unwanted noise.
Accordingly, there has been a long-felt need for mechanical structures and devices, which can level or otherwise stabilize articles. To this end, some articles are provided with adjustable pads on their lower supports with these pads typically being threaded bolts which terminate in support pads or heads. These threaded bolts move into and out of the lower supports to define an adjustable support plane. Thus, the support pads may be threadably adjusted so that all of the common support points are in a common plane. Other techniques of leveling items such as heavy machinery include the use of a pair of freely sliding wedges, which are interconnected by means of a threaded shaft; a torque applying assembly interconnects the wedges so that they may be forcibly slid with respect to one another to provide vertically adjustable supports for the machine.
My earlier U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,320 is directed to a device, which is insertable between a support surface and a lower portion of an article in order to help stabilize and level the article on the support surface. This device is low cost, convenient, and adaptable to many applications where leveling, shimming or stabilizing is needed. In fact, this earlier device has been found to be useful not only for leveling and stabilizing furniture, but also for shimming work projects, vibration control of industrial equipment, and surface protection to name a few applications. While my previous device is convenient for many applications, there is still a need for a device, which is particularly adapted for shimming work projects, vibration control of industrial equipment, surface protection, and the like.